ICEs Plan to Let Cops Around the Country Scan Faces to Verify Immigration Status
6 hours ago
- #Immigration Enforcement
- #Privacy Concerns
- #Facial Recognition
- ICE plans to distribute a facial recognition app called the ICE Task Force Module App (TFM App) to over 1,000 local law enforcement agencies to verify individuals' immigration status.
- The app scans faces against a database of over 250 million DHS and State Department records, providing instructions to officers and potentially identifying removable individuals.
- ICE acknowledges the app may be used on U.S. citizens and can generate false matches, with data stored for 15 years.
- The app is intended for agencies in the 287(g) program, which allows local police to act with immigration enforcement powers.
- Critics, including the ACLU and EFF, warn the app could lead to wrongful detentions, undermine community safety, and spread surveillance, prompting legislative proposals to curb its use.